To search the complete
Canadian Social Research Links website ,
use the text box below:

To search ONLY the page you
are now reading,
use Ctrl + F to open a search window.

SUBSCRIBE
TO THE CANADIAN SOCIAL RESEARCH NEWSLETTER
Sign up to receive this free weekly newsletter by e-mail or read it
online (including archives back to January 2005).
Each issue includes all links added to this site during the previous
week. (2800+ subscribers in June
2017)

2008 Canadian Government Budget links

NOTE: I don't check the links on this archive page
to ensure that they're still active, so you'll definitely find some that are
dead...

Click on the links below to jump directly
to a specific section further down on this page, or scroll down the page to
find links to the following:(You can click on your browser's BACK button to return here if you select
a link below

Links
in this box will take you to budget information (budget papers + analysis) further
down on the page you're now reading:

Government
of Canada Maintains Strong and Responsible Economic LeadershipNews
ReleaseNovember 27, 2008The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance,
today announced in his 2008 Economic and Fiscal Statement that the Government
will take actions to restrain spending, protect Canadas hard-won fiscal
advantage and reinforce the stability of our financial system amid this period
of global economic uncertainty.

Budget
Highlights (PDF - 84K, 2 pages)(...) Healthy Communities* $19
million this year - and $160 million over eight years - will go toward quality,
affordable child care This includes an investment of $6 million to develop about
250 more child care spaces* $31.7 million toward the Family Pharmacare Program
will make prescription drugs affordable for as many as 180,000 Nova Scotians who
have had no drug coverage in the past

Budget
Highlights (...)- Lifting from Poverty*
Investment of $12 million this year ($17.3 million annualized) for a total of
more than $100 million annually in the Poverty Reduction Strategy.Examples
include: * $1.7 million to support youth at risk * $1 million to improve
access to healthy food and community activities* $1.5 million for the extension
of the Make Work Pay Workplace Connections initiative to cover all income support
clients who join the labour market * $2.4 million to index basic income support
benefits effective April 1, 2008 * Expanding the Employment Transition Project
for single parents through an investment of $128,000 * $470,000 investment
in community-based workplace skills training and a micro-lending program *
$1.4 million to improve access to housing, particularly for seniors and those
working for low wages * $40,000 to increase operating grants to eight Status
of Womens centres * $279,000 to establish a Family Violence Treatment
Court pilot project * $1.5 million in improvements to Income Support benefits
* Funding of $254,900 to expand the Child, Youth and Family Civil Legal Aid Project
to the Western region * $126,300 for civil legal aid support for persons required
to make a court appearance under the Mental Health Act(...)

News
Releases - links to 11 news releases related to Budget 2008..including:Newfoundland
and Labrador Continues to Invest to Lead the Country in Poverty Reduction
InitiativesThe Williams Government continues to act on its commitment
to alleviate, prevent and reduce poverty in the province with new measures that
focus on improving earned incomes, strengthening the social safety net and supporting
youth at risk. Budget 2008 provides an additional $9.6 million in new Poverty
Reduction Strategy initiatives and this funding is in addition to the $2.4 million
announced April 1 to index basic income support rates. That brings the total investment
in the current fiscal year to $12 million and once fully implemented in 2009-10,
the Provincial Governments annual investment in poverty reduction will be
more than $100 million.

Spending
welcome, but why the deficit?Most of the spending targets
are worthy ones, but did government need to go into the red?April
24, 2008"(...) planning for a $34.9-million deficit for 2008-09 is hardly
a lofty goal..."Source:The
Guardian (Charlottetown PEI)

Alberta
Budget 2008 April 22, 2008- NOTE: in addition to links to budget
documents, this page presents detailed budget highlights for the following areas
(click on any plus sign (+) or link on that page for more info): * Communities
* Businesses * The environment * First Nations and Métis Settlements *
Parents * K-12 students * Post-secondary students * People with disabilities *
Albertans with lower incomes, seniors, and Albertans in need * Affordable housing
* Farmers * Community groups and the arts * Tax cuts * Surplus and savings

Alberta
Budget 2008 supports strong social programs for Alberta's growing populationFurther
investments made in programs for families, seniors, people with disabilities,
children, and new AlbertansNews ReleaseApril 22, 2008Budget
highlights:* $76 million more for quality, affordable child care * $46
million more for affordable supportive living for low-income seniors and persons
with disabilities * $58.5 million more for housing targeting lower-income
Albertans and homeless people * $41 million more for increased support to
contracted social agencies * $15.3 million more in supports to help immigrants,
including $1.8 million more in settlement services * $12.5 million more in
resources to address Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder * $3.5 million more in
support for community-based social programs

This just in: surpluses
across the board (Thomas Courchene)
- April 2008

This
just in: surpluses across the board (PDF - 163K, 3 pages)By Thomas
J. CourcheneApril 2008[Abstract] The achievement of budgetary surpluses
in Ottawa and in all provinces and territories simultaneously was 60 years in
the making. This brief commentary on budgetary federalism adapts the informative
charts in Budget 2008 and traces the fiscal/budgetary fortunes of the two levels
of government over the past two decades. The near collapse of provincial finances
in the wake of the 1995 budget has now been offset by a huge influx of federal
cash transfers (Canada Health Transfer, Canada Social Transfer and equalization)
and by resource revenues. When combined with federal tax cuts, the result is that
the excess of provincial over federal revenues has never been larger.

Budget
2008 Highlights(Excerpt)Healthy Families, Healthy Communities·
Investing $16.6 million more in housing through HOMEWorks!· Providing
new funding for people making the transition to employment.· Investing
an additional $5 million in child care to provide more spaces, a new training
and recruitment fund and higher wages.· Providing $3.5 million to extend
the Manitoba Shelter Benefit to help single adults and couples on income assistance
and to support a pilot project for individuals with mental health challenges.·
Increasing the supported-living program by $12.4 million.· Adding $23
million to continue making changes to better protect Manitoba children.·
Supporting young adults affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the areas
of housing, education and training, recreation, crisis services, family connections
and mentoring.· Increasing Childrens Special Services funding
by six per cent to $23.7 million for physical, speech and language, and occupational
therapies and services.

Ontario
Poverty Reduction Strategy The governments Cabinet Committee
on Poverty Reduction, chaired by the Honourable Deb Matthews, Minister of Children
and Youth Services, will focus on expanding opportunities for those living in
poverty. It will develop a focused poverty reduction strategy with measures, indicators
and reasonable targets by the end of 2008. The Committee will review how best
to organize and align the current system of supports to ensure more effective
investment and more efficient administration. The government will work with communities
and other governments to expand opportunity for all Ontarians and reduce poverty
over the long term. - includes info on the following early initiatives under
the Poverty Reduction Strategy : * Dental Care for Low-Income Families * Student
Nutrition Program * Parenting and Family Literacy Centres * Making Education More
AffordableSource:Budget
Papers, Chapter 1, Section C: A Better Future for Families: Improving Quality
of Life- also includes info on : * Investing in Social Housing * Asset-Building
Strategy for Low-Income Ontarians * Increased Support for Social Assistance *
Minimum Wage * Senior Homeowners Property Tax Grants * Ontario Property
and Sales Tax Credits for Seniors * more...

A
pragmatic Ontario budget under trying circumstancesBy Jeffrey
SimpsonMarch 26, 2008Ontario has little room to manoeuvre, given slow
growth, weakening exports, a high dollar, an infrastructure deficit, a relentless
health-care budget, and a drain on its resources from six provinces through equalization
and federal transfers. Under these trying circumstances, Premier Dalton McGuinty's
government did well to balance the budget (again), keep spending below revenue
growth, put additional money in sensible places, nibble at corporate taxes, and
reject simplistic advice from the Harper government.Source:Globe
and Mail

Media
release: Campaign 2000 comments on 2008 Ontario BudgetMarch 25,
2008The anti-poverty coalition Campaign 2000 is encouraged to see the Ontario
2008 budget include a number of measures that reflect the Governments commitment
to address poverty.These include: $1.5 billion over 3 years for skills and education
initiatives; $100 million to rehabilitate social housing; $135 million over 3
years for dental services for low income Ontarians, and a 2% increase to social
assistance rates.Source:Campaign
2000

Also from Campaign 2000:

Media
release: Poverty Reduction Missing from Federal BudgetFebruary
26, 2008The federal budget passed up the chance to offer the almost 800,000
children living in poverty in Canada a shot at a better life, says Campaign 2000,
the national coalition of over 120 partners working to end child and family poverty
in Canada.

Ontario
budget: corporations, $750 million, the poor: $167 millionMarch
26, 2008Despite the signal that this Ontario budget would focus on poverty,
the McGuinty government has missed the mark, said Sid Ryan, the Ontario president
of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). "Corporations are getting
a $750 million tax cut while the poor get $167 million, and barely the rate of
inflation for social assistance benefits. Minimum wage workers will still need
to wait to 2010 to get a hand out of poverty. Guess who won this war?Source:Canadian
Union of Public Employees

Deficits
not always the work of the devilJanuary
22, 2008By Thomas WalkomWith an economic recession almost certainly in
the offing, Canadians will have to conquer their fear of government deficits.
Deficit financing  allowing governments to temporarily spend more than they
take in  has been anathema since the early '90s. That's the last time Canada
faced a serious recession. It's also when economic conservatism reached its high-water
mark. Backed by the financial press, a powerful coalition of interests managed
to convince all major political parties that government spending was the biggest
danger facing Canada.Source:The Toronto
Star

Government
of New Brunswick 2008-2009 Budget - March 18, 2008The 2008-2009 Budget
was tabled in the New Brunswick Legislature by Victor Boudreau, Minister of Finance
on March 18, 2008.- incl. links to : Budget Speech - News release - The New
Brunswick Economy - Main Estimates

Minister
Flaherty Tables Legislation to Implement Budget 2008 Measures and Protect
Canadas Fiscal FrameworkNews ReleaseMarch 14, 2008The
Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today introduced legislation in
the House of Commons to implement key measures from Budget 2008. The bill also
includes language to protect the Governments fiscal plan from the effects
of Bill C-253.- incl. * the new Tax-Free Savings Account starting in 2009
* the new consolidated Canada Student Grant Program * streamlining and modernizing
the Canada Student Loans Program, modernizing the immigration system, improving
the management and governance of the Employment Insurance (EI) program (through
the creation of the Canada Employment Insurance Financing Board), providing $110
million to the Mental Health Commission of Canada to support five innovative demonstration
projects across the country, increasing the Guaranteed Income Supplement earnings
exemption for working seniors, and more...Source:Department
of Finance Canada

Your
Turn: Budget 2008Reactions of average Canadians to the 2008 federal
budgetScroll down the page to see comments (232 comments as of 9am Feb. 28)
sent in by email, and/or"Send
us Your View" - CBC invites you to write in (anonymously) to say
how this budget will affect you and your family.

Prudent
Conservative budget has some surprises- incl. links to the Budget
Speech and highlights, winners and losers, "Flashback" ("An interactive
look at the federal budget's path from deficit to surplus), budget links, budget
jargon, and much more...

Some
activists embrace Flaherty's tax-free plan while others scorn itFebruary
28, 2008By Tanya TalagaThe introduction of a tax-free savings account
is hailed by some anti-poverty advocates as a big, first incentive to low-income
earners to save money intended to be free of government clawbacks. Others say
the special savings account is just another way for the rich to get richer.

Small
change for tighter times$6-billion over three years; New
tax shelter and sprinkling of economic aid; Dion vows not to vote it down Thriftiest
federal budget since Ottawa balanced its books 11 years ago includes new tax shelter
and sprinkling of economic aid; Dion vows not to vote it down.

Analysis
of the 2008 Federal BudgetThe centrepiece of the Budget is a new
tax exempt savings vehicle which (...) will eventually cost billions in lost revenues,
but only pennies will go to ordinary working families who manage to save very
little outside of pensions and RRSPs.

The
2008 Federal Budget: The End of Surplus?A weaker economic outlook,
coupled with the aggressive tax cuts contained in the governments October
2007 Economic Statement, has constrained the ability of the federal government
to introduce significant budget initiatives.

Stick
to the budget: CD Howe InstituteFebruary
27, 2008By William Robson and Colin BusbyColin
Busby and William Robson of the C.D. Howe Institute question in Wednesday's Financial
Post why governments bother announcing budgets, since history shows they have
a poor record of following them.

Also from the Financial
Post:

Tax-Free
Savings Accounts: the biggest thing since RRSPsFinn Poschmann
February 27, 2008The 2008 federal budget, tabled yesterday by Finance Minister
Jim Flaherty, contains a tax policy gem. The new budget, expected to pass through
Parliament, proposes a Tax-Free Savings Account, which would be the most significant,
positive innovation in Canada's tax treatment of savings since Registered Retirement
Savings Plans in 1957. The new TFSA would allow people to save up to $5,000 per
year, out of after-tax income, and to pay no further taxes on those funds or their
returns.

Feds
to post first deficit in a decade if economy slows: studyPress
ReleaseJanuary 14, 2008OTTAWAA decade of federal budget surpluses
could come to an end if an economic slowdown materializes in 2008, says a technical
paper for the Alternative Federal Budget, published today by the Canadian Centre
for Policy Alternatives. According to the study, the federal governments
Economic and Fiscal Update, which calls for surpluses as far as the eye can see,
does not fully consider the very real possibility of an economic downturn. The
study stress-tests the governments numbers and finds it would not take much
of a drop in economic growth before the budget returned to deficit.

British
Columbia Budget 2008February 19, 2008Budget home page, includes
links to all budget papers, backgrounders, the Government's Fiscal Plan and Strategic
Plan, along with Ministry and Crown Agency Service Plans and Estimates of proposed
spending by ministry and government agency for the coming fiscal year.

Ministry
and Crown Agency Service Plans for 2008/2009 to 2010/2011"..
provides an overview of every ministry and Crown agency, including how they intend
to achieve their service goals and how they support the direction laid out in
the Government Strategic Plan."- recommended reading if you want to know
what each of the ministries is planning for the next three years.Here (below)
are service plans for the ministries responsible for welfare and children's services
in British Columbia (follow the
service plans link to access other ministries' service plans).

Ministry
of Employment and Income Assistance Service Plan, 2008/2009 to 2010/2011(ministry
responsible for welfare)HTML(the table of contents is in the left margin of the page)PDF(404K, 32 pages)

Additional
Information from the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance
(PDF file - 268K, 14 pages)The following resources support the Ministrys
2008/09  2010/11 Service Plan.Appendix 1: Services MapAppendix 2:
Service Code and Organizational ValuesAppendix 3: Service StandardsAppendix
4: Glossary of TermsAppendix 5: What Benefits Do Clients Retain When They
Leave Income Assistance For Work?NOTE: if you're interested in the
"welfare wall" effect (i.e., the loss of non-cash benefits such as supplementary
health and dental benefits when someone leaves welfare for a job), I highly recommend
this appendix.Appendix 6: Performance Measure Methodologies

Ministry
of Children and Family DevelopmentService Plan, 2008/2009 to 2010/2011HTML(the table of contents is in the left margin of the page)PDF
(315K, 26 pages)

'Landmark'
Green Budget, with Some Brown SpotsWinners: Banks, oil, roads. Losers:
Schools, wild salmon.By Andrew MacLeodFebruary 20, 2008Finance
Minister Carole Taylor's new Fluevogs were green, her dress was green and the
budget documents she presented in Victoria were wrapped in green covers. The theme,
in Taylor's words, was clear: "We promised you green and today we delivered
green." It is, however, worth taking a closer look.
The budget delivered the expected carbon tax, a move applauded by several environmentalists,
but there is plenty of brown in the background. And the budget does little to
address chronic underfunding in several areas, making B.C. less sustainable.Source:The
Tyee

To search the complete
Canadian Social Research Links website ,
use the text box below:

To search ONLY the page you
are now reading,
use Ctrl + F to open a search window.

SUBSCRIBE
TO THE CANADIAN SOCIAL RESEARCH NEWSLETTER
Sign up to receive this free weekly newsletter by e-mail or read it
online (including archives back to January 2005).
Each issue includes all links added to this site during the previous
week. (2800+ subscribers in June
2017)